Pretenses and Ecstasy
by blackrain 2405
Summary: Near was always known to be rational and unemotional. Putting up a façade to keep others away. However, when a new girl arrived at Wammy's, everything changed for Near. Yeah, I suck at summaries. Near/OC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I don't know why, but after I watched the Death Note series for the second time, I became a total Near fangirl XD, and most of my inspiration to write this story came from the cute albino that we all know and love, Near. **

**Summary: Near was always known to be rational and unemotional. Putting up a façade to keep others away. However, when a new girl arrived at Wammy's, everything changed for Near. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any of its characters I do however own my OC**

**Pretenses and Ecstasy: Friend**

It's been over a year and a half since Nate River, now renamed with the pseudonym 'Near' of which Watari gave him, has lived within the secure walls of the orphanage known as 'Wammy's House' a seemingly 'normal' institution that houses gifted orphans, it's real purpose however, is to mold the talents of these said children with special gifts to produce a fitting successor for the greatest renowned detective, L.

Impressively though, within that short span of time, Near had been able to make his way to the top first. However, it seems as though not everyone was awestruck.

Mello, a fair-haired kid just about the age of Near with a knack for chocolates who, despite all his constant efforts to be number one, still fell second to Near, and the very thought of it irked him and caused his self-imposed hatred for the younger boy.

Of course, because of his jealousy towards Near, this resulted to constant bullying and name calling. The young albino though, despite Mello's mischiefs played on him, still remained unfazed.

Near had to admit, he found the establishment to be quite a bore. School work hasn't been much of a problem to him. No. School work had _never_ been a problem to him thanks to his inhumanly high intellect.

Regardless of his mental abilities, Near on the other hand, has less than average social skills, which resulted to him having the reputation of _'Logical, robotic, unfeeling, detached and unsociable Near'_. Because of the reputation he gained, children had been _avoiding _him.

The only source of entertainment for the boy would be his toys which he considered as his comrades rather than human company, and of course Mello sometimes, with his bullying. Oh how Near loved to see the infuriated look on his face whenever he bullied the white-haired boy but still couldn't elicit any emotion from him.

Well, that's how things would always remain, as Near thought. Things would always be tedious around the orphanage, as nothing really interesting happens inside the institution.

And he would always be the impassive little albino that everyone thinks he is, keeping others at an arm's length away from him. Never allowing anyone to get past his mental boundary which he built around himself to push others away, he would never allow anyone to get through it. He would always remain logical and composed.

Or so he thought…

* * *

A young eleven year old girl stood in front of the crime scene of her parents, sobbing whilst being comforted by a few police officers. Her parents are dead… _Dead!_ And they were killed in front of her by ruthless criminals. They were killed _because_ of her.

The young girl could only watched as the paramedics took her parents' bodies inside an ambulance. She stared at them… Lifeless, because of her, it was all her fault and she would _never_ forgive herself for it.

The white-haired girl wiped away her tears, her vision turning vague as the world around her began to blur. Then she noticed a black figure walking towards her and the police woman she was with, she squint her eyes to get a better look and found that it was an aged man dressed in a black suit.

"Officer Mila, is that her?" the man dressed in suit inquired, looking at the frail figure hiding behind the plump woman

"Yes Watari, we found her hidden inside a closet, right after we caught the suspect." Officer Mila answered pushing the frail figure forward gently to give the man a better look at the child.

"Is she alright?" Watari asked

"Yes, we had her checked up for any signs of injuries or post-traumatic symptoms."

Watari bent down so that he could properly face the white little figure that quivered from head to foot, he figured this whole event must be traumatic for her.

"What is your name, little one?" he asked in a kind tone

"J-Jessica Wells." Jessica said almost hesitantly

"Well Jessica, don't you worry, I am going to take you somewhere special a place where I can assure you will be safe." Watari stretched out his hand to pat the young girl's shoulder but she instinctively took a step back.

"W-who _are_ you?" Jessica defensively asked

Watari sighed "My name is Watari, I own an orphanage. I'm going to take you there, where they will take good care of you."

"What about my parents?" Jessica asked despondently, she took a deep breath and let out a sigh, to keep in the tears that were starting to form in her eyes

"Jessica." Watari dejectedly said "Your parents are gone. There's nothing left for you here."

Jessica turned her head towards the ambulance her parents were in and then turned back to Watari. Tears that she tried so hard to hold back freely flowed from her eyes as she gave Watari a soft ok.

_Poor girl_ "Trust me, you'll love it there." Watari reassured as he took the fragile girl's hand and led her inside his limousine.

"Every child who resides there is given an alias." Watari started "To sort of give them a fresh start but they have to be willing to forget their past and start a new life, and also to keep their identities hidden. The real purpose of the orphanage is to produce a suitable successor for the notorious detective known as L." he explained

"Why do you need to conceal our identities?" Jessica asked, her voice almost inaudible

"To protect you, of course."

Jessica quirked an eyebrow, as if to ask the man for further clarification

Watari sighed and smiled "There's no need for you to worry about such matters."

"Ok." Jessica sighed in defeat

Watari stared at the girl beside him. Her long, wavy, snowy hair fell down to her waist, her pallid complexion seemed to complement her sparkling deep cerulean eyes that looked like sapphires, she was like a jewel. Precious and fragile.

Then a thought hit Watari's mind.

"Jewel." He stated, almost in a low whisper

"What?" Jessica asked facing the old man

"You will be called _Jewel_."

* * *

Near silently sat on his usual position on the matted area of the playroom, playing with the numerous toys he laid out in front of him. He curiously listened to the sound of children running through the hallways, probably going to the foyer. He could hear hushed whispers and shouts, all the commotion was about a new child arriving at the orphanage.

Near probably couldn't care less, but the thought of who the new child might be piqued his interest, so he decided to get out of the playroom and proceeded to the foyer where he found a noisy crowd of children waiting for the arrival of the newcomer. Soon, the room fell silent as the front door opened, the children moved to either sides of the room creating an aisle.

Watari stepped forward along with the little figure that followed behind him.

"Everyone, this is Jewel." Watari announced as he pushed the shy little girl forward with a gentle hand

"H-hello." Jewel stuttered, as she forced a smile upon her lips and awkwardly waved at the crowd

"Be sure to treat her nicely. Good day everyone." Watari said as he turned on his heels and was just about to exit through the front door, when something gripped his hand halting him on his tracks

"Don't leave me." Jewel whispered, her voice a little shaky as she looked at Watari with poignant teary eyes

Watari smiled and placed a hand on the pale girl's shoulder "We talked about this right? Don't worry I'll be back to visit you soon."

And with that Watari left, leaving the frightened girl in the hands of the curious crowd that flooded towards her, bombarding her with prying questions much to her dismay.

Near observed the girl in the sidelines, her ashen white hair, much like the same color as his own, flowed freely down to her waist, her soft azure eyes were full of emotions unlike his dreary onyx eyes, and her complexion if it were possible, seemed a bit paler than his.

"Oooh, she looks like a female you!" Matt sniggered as he nudged Near's side

The white-haired boy ignored the third heir to L's legacy, he wasn't in the mood for one of the red-head's gags. He was still busy scrutinizing the new stranger. Oddly Near found her to be quite attra—STOP. No. Near would never say that. At least, her looks are above average. Much to his uneasiness because of the crowd, Near decided to leave and press Roger for some information instead.

* * *

Near padded through the hallways and halted in front of Roger's office, he knocked once before he slipped inside the room.

"Ah, Near how—" Roger greeted but was rudely interrupted by Near, he wasn't in the mood for idle chatter

"May I know who the girl is?" Near asked, his voice monotone

"Jewel, didn't—"

"No. I meant, what special abilities does she possess and why is she here?"

"I do not know, Near. Watari didn't inform me."

Near gave a disappointed sigh "I see." somehow, he didn't quite believe Roger

"It's a good thing you came here I wanted to talk to you about something."

"What would that be Roger?"

"I wanted to inform you that you will be sharing rooms with Jewel." Roger said bluntly

Near blinked, trying to process what Roger had just informed him

"Pardon, Roger? Do you really expect me to share rooms with a… With a girl?"

"Yes."

_Roger you idiot! Did you even think twice about this? This is just unacceptable! _"Roger, I'm afraid I must oppose to your decision."

"Near, we can't place her anywhere, due to the lack of rooms of our dorm and everyone else already has a roommate except for you. You're of the same age, I think you—"

"I think _my_ opinion should be considered."

Roger pinched the bridge of his nose, obviously getting irritated "Near, it's decided."

"But—"

"I think it's best if you leave, Near."

"…Alright then." Near pouted his lips slightly as he left Roger's office, clearly peeved with the idea of having to share a room with someone, especially with a girl.

* * *

Near hesitated to enter his room, dreading to find someone inside that isn't supposed to be there at all. He opened his door ever so slightly to reveal a pale girl just about his age sitting on the middle of the floor, his eyes widened when he caught sight of his bed that had been altered into a bunk bed.

_Great. Well, I better try to be polite in the least._

"…. Hello. I'm Near." Near introduced himself as he knelt down in front of the girl

The girl only stared at Near for a few moments, her cobalt eyes penetrating Near's grey ones.

"H-hi. I'm Jewel." she stuttered as she nervously held out her hand towards Near

Near tilted his head slightly staring at Jewel's hand, somewhat confused of what to do.

"What's that gesture for?" Near enquired.

Jewel quirked an eyebrow bemusedly looking at the odd boy. _Is he joking?_

Jewel took Near's hand and shook it "You shake it like this, see?"

Near snatched his hand away and flinched, proving his unfamiliarity with human contact. _What is she doing?_

Jewel shot him a perplexed look.

"I don't see the necessity of such an act." Near stated bluntly

A smile formed on the sides of the silver-haired girl's rosy lips "You… Never made a friend before, have you?"

Near felt his face getting hot at the girl's statement, a tinge of pink dusted his cheeks as he looked away.

Near felt a hand touch his shoulder, he turned back his gaze at the pale girl in front of him, a smile planted on her face.

"I'll be your friend." Jewel said, her tone soft and welcoming

_Friend: A person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically exclusive of sexual or family relations._That was Near's definition of a friend, however he still has no idea of what a friend _really_ means, since he never had one and no one ever really made an effort to be his friend.

But this girl, whom he barely knew of, deemed him as her comrade.

The feeling of warmth that coursed through him, seemed all too new for the boy. Suddenly, an involuntary smile that was hardly visible crept up his lips. But it disappeared quickly before Jewel could even notice it.

"Sure… Friend." Near whispered in a subdued tone, staring blankly (but mentally smiling) at the girl in front of him, his new _friend._

**A/N: Hope it was okay (smiles nervously) please kindly review :3.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: For those who reviewed thank you so much. I really appreciate it**

**ALL IN NEAR'S POV**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in Death Note**

**Pretenses and Ecstasy: Thunder**

* * *

It's been two months now since Jewel has moved in the institution, and honestly, all I can say is that she had been rather a pain in the neck for me sometimes. Not only do I have to look out for myself, for the fact that we share rooms and she's sort of my "responsibility" as Roger had informed me, I (unfortunately) have to look after her as well, which of course is much of a trouble for me since I'm not used to having anyone following me around.

Ever since that girl was left under my watch, I've been getting into more trouble than I'd like, and believe me, she's more trouble than she's worth I haven't passed two of my essays in History and one project in Chemistry because always I have to help her out, _always_. With her it's like I have to do everything myself. It's always '_Near this_' and _'Near that'_ it's like she isn't capable of doing her own task! It's quite vexing, really.

Even if that girl regarded me as her friend, I have no intentions of having any emotional attachments with her, I have no reason to and I don't see how that will benefit me. Never will I allow anyone to have strings attached with me. I have tried and tried for as many times as I can remember to keep her out of my hair. But still no matter what I do, she keeps coming back again, she has many friends, why stick with me? It's unnerving to think of how she always manages to find me, it's like she planted a tracking device on me or something and locates me on her radar.

Come to think of it, something like that isn't as impossible as you think. This _is_ Wammy's after all, and children here are known for their special abilities and intellect that are much higher than mediocre children of our age.

Jewel however, seems to be an exception. It's quite clear that she has no interest in succeeding L whatsoever, considering her ranking as the 19th in Wammy's list of students. She isn't very studious. I have no idea what her talent is yet, and neither does she have a clue. It's intriguing how she was qualified to enter Wammy's, there is _nothing_ special about her, I could tell. Maybe Watari just took her in out of pity, well there is a twenty percent possibility that that might be the reason however I am not that certain.

I don't know a lot about her for we don't share much personal information to each other. I'm naturally not a conversation-starter, so it's mostly Jewel who does most of the talking and I just tend to listen. The only things I know about her that are quite obvious is that she tends to talk in her sleep, she likes to play sports specifically soccer, in a short amount of time she (oddly) became acquainted with Mello and Matt and gained popularity amongst the residences, she's scared of the dark so I have to suffer sleeping with the lights on. Well, that's about it I guess.

* * *

It's been fairly a chilly evening and it's been raining nonstop since yesterday and this indicates the near coming of winter. I like winter. I like the cold. I like white. I like the serenity of it. It's the only season where everything seems still and somehow it gives me a sense of peace.

I placed the Chemistry book I've been studying— Well, more like scanning(in case there would be a pop quiz tomorrow) on my wooden desk and proceeded to lie down on the bottom bed of the bunk bed.

I wrapped the blanket around me to maintain my body's temperature and shut my eyes close. I twisted and turned on the bed restlessly, hoping that sleep would take me anytime. But it never came. I ended up staring at the ceiling. It's always like this every night, I always have a hard time putting myself to sleep.

I flinched a little at the striking sound of thunder, somehow the noise seemed incessant and the continuous sound of thunder increased a decibel and along with it came a whimper. I sat upright wondering where it came from, I then noticed Jewel hurriedly climbing down the ladder of the bunk bed and almost stumbling her way down to the floor.

It was hard not to notice her quivering from head to foot. Fear etched quite clearly upon her pale face. She stood in front of my bed for some time, staring and rooted at the current space she was standing on. And at another roar of the tempest, she jumped right onto my bed invading much of my so called _'personal space'_, pressing me against the cold wall.

"N-Near, I'm scared." Jewel whimpered

_It's as if I didn't know that already_ "That's quite apparent." I said nonchalantly

"…."

I sighed. I suppose I should say words of comfort "It's alright, it's just thunder." I said

"It's too loud." Jewel whined as she covered her ears

"Don't worry it'll be over soon, I promise." I reassured

Suddenly, I felt something warm against my torso. I looked down and saw Jewel resting her head upon my chest_. What does she think she is doing?_

I recoiled and stared at the surprised girl in front of me.

"I… I'm sorry" Jewel apologized "It's just that I'm so cold."

I remained silent.

What am I supposed to do in a situation like this? Should I just leave her alone? It isn't as if I could just tell her _'So what? I'm cold as well. Go back to bed.'_ That'll just be too rude.

I felt Jewel's cold quivering body press against my chest once more. I tried to push her away but I couldn't move, it's like I was immobilized in that very moment.

"N-Near?" Jewel asked, her voice weary

I opened my mouth as if to answer but nothing came out but a pathetic "Huh?"

"C-could we sleep together, just for this night?"

For a split second my mind came to a halt and my body stiffened. Every single thing about her statement sounded… wrong.

Jewel's sapphire eyes widened realizing what she had just said "No! I didn't mean it like that, I mean… that maybe you could comfort me and maybe I could fall asleep." She explained

I sighed in defeat knowing that if I declined it would just lead to more pointless small talk. "Alright." I said in agreement

Jewel snuggled further onto my body and wrapped both my hands around herself. It's almost as if I was… What was that gesture again? Oh right. It's as if I was hugging her. I tried to squirm away but her grip on me only tightened.

In the end I had no choice but to succumb to her forced embrace. Although, I must admit, the warmth we made was rather soothing. I felt more relaxed than ever. Well, I guess I could allow this much physical contact, _just for now. _Being lulled by the coolness of the weather outside, the pitter-patter of rain on the roof and the growing temperature of our bodies closely pressed against each other, unknowingly I fell asleep.

* * *

My eyes fluttered open as the bright sunrays reflected by the windowpane shone upon my face. I looked down and saw Jewel in the same position that she was in last night, resting in my arms quite comfortably. I have to be honest, I had never fallen asleep so soundly in my entire existence. I felt completely revitalized.

I felt the sides of my lips twist into a curve at the sight of her murmuring something in her sleep. _Was I actually smiling?_ _Probably_

I gently and carefully took my arms off her hold and laid her down on my bed as tenderly as possible as to not wake her. I got off the bed and stretched my body, staying in that position for so long numbed half of my body.

I gazed at the girl sleeping on my bed. Her long wavy silver hair fell in front of her face and framed it perfectly, her lips as rosy as ever, her skin ashen, and as flawless as a piece of paper. I felt my cheeks heating up_. Is that even normal?_

I continued to observe her intently. She rested on her side and buried her face on the pillow and purred. I felt a chuckle about to erupt in my throat but I impressively suppressed it. _Hmm, when she's asleep, she actually looks kind of cu—No. Never._

The supposed smile on my face faded, hidden behind the emotionless mask that I wear on a daily basis and I ensued my morning rituals that I needed to do to start the day.

* * *

**A/N: Well, hope it was better than the last chapter, please review :3**


End file.
